ffm103: I've resolved the issue in my previous post. Ashamed to admit the simplicity of it--needed to update my graphics card drivers. Once I got the latest drivers, the game loaded and ran with no issues.
I only have two issues, one cosmetic and the other a bugged quest... It seems that sometimes a section of ground will stay in super low-res texture or even an NPC. It's intermittent, so not a big deal, really. The second one is a little more concerning, the bugged quest. I just built a science station in my first base, and I can't find the scientist. The station he's supposed to be in has the quest symbol located at the entrance to the station, not inside... He's not to be found. And from the flight deck, the icon says that it's "On Planet".
edit: I traveled around a bit, landed on another planet, and finally came back to the station where the scientist was supposed to be. And, he was there in the correct place. Same thing also happened with my base. My construction and science terminals were both missing. However, I had to rebuild them. Once I rebuilt the construction terminal, the overseer reappeared, too. So, other than some lost time and materials, all is well and progressing.